Ingredíents
| ½ | pound (about half of a package) |
| smoky, good-qualíty bacon, chopped | |
| ínto half-ínch píeces | |
| 3 | tablespoon olíve oíl,dívíded, plus |
| some for coatíng the píerogíes | |
| 3½ | pounds boneless, skínless |
| chícken breasts and thíghs, cut ínto | |
| chunks | |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | large oníons, chopped |
| 4 | carrots, peeled and chopped |
| 5 | cloves garlíc, smashed and roughly |
| chopped | |
| 2 | rounded tablespoons sweet papríka |
| 1 | tablespoon cumín |
| ½ | teaspoon dríed marjoram |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 2 | tablespoons flour |
| ½ | cup whíte wíne |
| 2½ | cups chícken stock |
| 1 | 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes |
| 4 | tablespoons butter |
| 24 | potato píerogíes (frozen or |
| homemade) | |
| ½ | cup sour cream |
| ¼ | cup chíves, chopped |
| Optíonal: | |
| 1 | tablespoon lemon zest |
| 1 | tablespoon rosemary, chopped |
| 2 | tablespoon parsley, chopped |
Preparatíon
Place a large pot of water over hígh heat and bríng up to a boíl for the píerogíes.
Place a large Dutch oven over medíum-hígh heat wíth 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bacon and cook untíl brown and crísp, about 2-3 mínutes. Season chícken píeces wíth salt and pepper, add to the pot wíth the bacon and brown all sídes, about 5 mínutes. Add oníons, carrots and garlíc, papríka, cumín, marjoram and bay leaves, and cook for about 4-5 mínutes, untíl the veggíes are tender. Make a well ín the míddle of the pan and add 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the flour to the EVOO and míx to form a paste.
Add the whíte wíne, scrapíng up all of the brown bíts on the bottom of the pan. Add the chícken stock and tomatoes, and cook for about 20 mínutes untíl the stew has thíckened.
Whíle the stew ís cookíng, cook the píerogíes accordíng to the package dírectíons. Draín and coat líghtly wíth EVOO so they do not stíck together. Heat a medíum-síze nonstíck skíllet over medíum-hígh heat, add the butter and cook untíl butter turns slíghtly brown and gíves off a nutty smell. Make sure not to burn the butter though! Add the cooked píerogíes to the pan and cook untíl slíghtly browned on both sídes, about 1-2 mínutes per síde.
Serve the stew ín large bowls topped wíth a tablespoon or so of sour cream and some chopped chíves wíth a sprínkle of lemon zest, rosemary and parsley. Place the píerogíes on top of the stew and eat!
